Domaine Auguste Clape
Overview
Domaine Auguste Clape is the historic benchmark estate of Cornas, established by the legendary Auguste Clape and now run by his family. The domaine has been central to establishing Cornas as a world-class appellation. The Clape family’s Cornas is made in the properly structured, classical style — long maceration, aged in old oak — that produces wines needing decades to fully blossom. The estate’s Cornas is consistently one of the most ageworthy wines in the Northern Rhône.
Appellations
- Cornas
- Saint-Péray (also produced)
- Côtes-du-Rhône (also produced)
Key Wines
- Cornas — the flagship; all old vine Syrah from granite terroir; aged in old oak; needs 20–30+ years
Style Notes
The Clape Cornas is the textbook expression of the appellation at its most properly structured: granite-inflected, massive in youth, needing years to soften. The wines show pure black fruit, iron, graphite, and white pepper. Nothing is made for early drinking here. Even “younger” vintages are still youthful a decade after harvest. The estate represents the lineage of great traditional Cornas alongside Noël Verset and Thierry Allemand.
Tasting Notes (from VFTC #119)
- 2006 Cornas: Rated 95. “Still a young wine at age nineteen.” Deep, pure, extremely promising; “rock solid at the core.” “Will need plenty more cellaring to really blossom.” Drinking window: 2035–2100.
My Tastings
(none yet)
Sources
- 119 — Annual Rhône Report (John Gilman, October 2025)